Human in the Loop:
Manual Override
One man. One financial crisis. One artificial intelligence. Who’s in command?
When a foreclosure threatens to unravel his life, Mister Don turns to artificial intelligence for help navigating a maze of financial records, institutional contradictions, and personal upheaval.
What begins as an attempt to regain control becomes an unexpectedly funny, deeply personal theatrical journey through grief, bureaucracy, creativity, and the limits of machine intelligence.
Written and performed by Mister Don, Human in the Loop: Manual Override premiered at the 2026 Philadelphia Fringe Festival.
The central question: When AI can help us think, how do we make sure it never thinks for us?
Bring Human in the Loop to Your Organization
Available for booking inquiries from theaters, colleges and universities, arts organizations, conferences, and programs exploring AI, creativity, leadership, and human judgment.
Performance, excerpts, and facilitated conversation formats can be discussed with prospective hosts.
Booking inquiries: Contact Mister Don
BARRYMORE NOMINATOR:
“Human in the Loop was powerfully and creatively performed. With a few simple props in an abstract space, Don told a brave and deeply moving story that explores how AI can help us connect to our own humanity.”
JENNIFER BLAINE:
“Risky and compelling and deeply tragic and redemptive.”
BARRYMORE NOMINATOR:
“A poignant portrayal of what AI can do…I've never seen anything like this.”
FRINGE AUDIENCE MEMBER:
“Thoughtful, Passionate, Reflective and Funny.”